This invention concerns systems such as burglar, fire alarm, and access control systems, and similar systems, in which peripheral devices are connected to a control panel for monitoring, and the peripheral is terminated with an End-of-Line (EOL) component, which is usually, but not always, a resistor. The EOL component, or termination device, varies both in type and value based on the control panel manufacturers' selections.
In the prior art, an electrician or device installer must manually connect the termination device to the circuit, either by soldering or by connection to a set of electrical terminals or by some other means. This process is tedious, because each termination device must be individually selected and manually installed at remote locations, and as a result many installers simply install the EOL component at the panel, largely defeating its purpose. Hand-installed devices have a tendency to fail, and faulty EOL termination at the panel can cause false alarms on the system or render the protection loop useless by failing to report an alarm state that is present.
Most alarm system faults due to faulty wiring occur in one of two ways: either there is a short circuit on the system because faulty wiring makes contact with grounded components, producing a “short circuit fault”, or the contact between system components is broken, resulting in an “open circuit” fault on the system. Both faults are problematic, as most alarm systems see “open circuit” faults as triggered false alarms, while “short circuit” faults can cause an actual alarm to go unreported if the terminating device is installed in the wrong position, i.e. at the control panel.
It is possible to pre-install termination devices within the peripheral devices, but because termination devices vary greatly by manufacturer, it is usually necessary to special-order these devices, which can cause delays and added cost to a project.
The present invention consists of a simpler method of installing termination devices on security system protection loops, reducing the potential for both errors and delays in the process of installing EOL components in such systems.